MORGANTOWN — As fall continues to creep closer, the air is beginning to cool, however this year could be different as meteorologists are predicting a warmer than normal autumn.
The first real bout of cold air is coming today with the possibility of strong winds and rain throughout the day, according to Matt Brudy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
“We are looking at two rounds of rain (today),” Brudy said. “One is going to be what we call a prefrontal trough, which is a bit ahead of the primary cold front. There is the possibility for thunderstorms in the morning hours, but it should wrap up before we hit the afternoon.
“Then when that cold front itself comes through mid-afternoon into the evening hours, we could see some stronger storms, but the primary question that we’re trying to solve is if we’ll get enough clearing behind the initial round in the morning to get some sun and be able to destabilize the atmosphere to then maximize the storm development.”
Brudy added, if there is a clearing between the storms, it could lead to damaging winds and an increase in the likelihood of tornadoes in the area.
Throughout the beginning of autumn, the National Weather Service is predicting cooler temperatures coming in from the Pacific Ocean, Brudy said.
“Our climate prediction center is looking at a brief period of La Nina conditions and then likely reverting back to neutral,” he said. “Throughout the next three months, we are looking at the same average amounts of precipitation, which also includes the possibility of snow. Towards the end of November, we can see temperatures warmer than normal.”
Brudy added it is still too early to give predictions on what the winter months could hold for Morgantown and the surrounding area.
